As the 1st EU-Latin America Aviation Summit kicks off in Rio de Janeiro, airports on both sides were quick to herald the benefits of opening aviation markets between Europe and Latin America.

European airport trade body, ACI Europe and its sister organisation, ACI LAC (Latin America & Caribbean) expressed strong hopes that the summit will pave the way for aviation negotiations to progress quickly and decisively between the European Union and Latin American countries.

Capacity for air services between Europe and Latin America has already grown by nearly 40% over the last 10 years. Strong cultural and business ties between the two regions coupled with the dynamism of leading South American economies mean that the potential for further development is very significant – indeed, demand could nearly triple over the next 20 years. However, this opportunity requires a move from antiquated and inflexible bilateral agreements between individual countries to a new, fully open and liberalised model.

Olivier Jankovec, Director General ACI Europe commented, “Europe’s airports are fully behind the European Commission’s efforts to open aviation markets with the EU’s main trading partner, in particular with Brazil. Experience gained with North America and also with neighbouring countries like Morocco, shows that consumers are the biggest winners from aviation liberalisation and that there are other far-reaching benefits. For Europe’s airports, this is about unleashing their potential to act as engines of economic growth for the communities they serve – something not to be overlooked given the urgency of securing economic growth.”

Miguel Southwell, President ACI LAC said “While experiencing steady increases, growth of the passenger and air cargo traffic in the LAC-EU corridor, still lags behind that of Europe and North America, to Africa and Asia respectively. Trade regulations, as well as air service regulatory constraints, continue to suppress the true potential of LAC-EU air commerce. This EU-Latin America Summit is therefore a key step towards markedly reducing these impediments and further strengthening the economic and cultural ties between both world regions.”